Your Guardian Angel
by Half-Blood TimeLady
Summary: Two years. Two people. True love that never ends. SxS;a bit of ExT    Sakura's powers are getting weaker.Finding out why appears to be a difficult task. Will they be able to stop these mysterious events until it's too late? Full sum inside.R&R please!  3
1. Prologue

Your Guardian Angel

A CardCaptor Sakura Fanfic

**Konnichiwa minna-san! I've decided that I would re-write the chapters of my fic. I just finished reading Cardcaptor Sakura and I was so thrilled at the ending~! So kawaii!**  
><strong>Anyways, when I started writing this chapter a while ago, I only watched the anime of CCS so I thought the ending is the same as the manga one.<strong>

**But I was proven wrong so I'm starting it again at the day Syaoran left and Sakura waited. AND...! You'll see. =3**

**I am deeply sorry for not updating that quick because I had loads of homework and I always had to sleep til midnight. :'(**

**But now it's the weekends and I finished the day's homework (and attempted to do it at school xD) I hurried and opened my laptop to write! I hope you'll all enjoy it! Please kindly tell me what you think about the story and review. Arigatou gozaimasu!**

**Disclamer: I don't own CardCaptor Sakura or any of it's characters. =3**

**Summary: Two years. Two people. True love that never lasts.**

**Syaoran has been gone for two years but Sakura patiently waits. Even if she has to wait forever. While he's away, strange happenings baffles Sakura and the group: an unknown force sucks out Sakura's powers every midnight and weakens her. What's more, a knew presence appears out of the blue in Tomoeda. A presence more powerful than Clow's. The group investigates the source of this knew presence. Is it connected to the vaccum-like force that saps Sakura of her powers? But even it has proven to be a difficult task as the Sakura cards loses their power one by one like their mistress. Will the knowledge of the presence enlighten or endanger them? Can they stop this mystery and prevent the Sakura cards from becoming normal cards and the mistress falling into death's hands? Read on and find out! =3**

Prologue

"Ten o'clock?" I shouted in shock at my phone.  
>"Yes. From what I heard,his plane goes at ten. But you can still see him! He must be on his way to the airport now." Tomoyo said comfortingly.<br>"Hai! Arigatou gozaimasu Tomoyo-chan." I said as I hung up and sprinted downstairs with the just-finished teddy bear I made over night in my hand. I wore my roller blades in record time. I need to catch up with him. I had to. This is my last chance and I'm not letting it slip from my hold.

"Sakura-san? Where are you going?" my dad called looking worried.

"I need to get to the bus stop!'"

"But your roller blades isn't fast enough." Fujitaka said concerned.

"I knew this would happen. You can ride on my motorbike." Touya said with a sigh.

I brightened. "Really onii-chan? Arigatou!" and I hugged him tightly. He was the best brother in the world. If you don't count his taunts.

We were speeding up the lane and I saw the bus to the airport halting ahead of us. I told Touya to stop. I ran,as fast as I could to catch up with the bus on which "he" was on, clutching the teddy bear I made over night. It was worth the work since it's for him. I am never going to give up so easily. I will tell him and return my feelings that I ran away from. At that time I was confused,I didn't know what to say or do or feel. But this time I am ready. Ready to tell him what I had to say. Of how much I love him. That I would feel sad if he's upset, become happy when I see his warm smile, that it hurts to see him get injured and that my heart shatters to see him leave.

"Syaoran-kun!" I shouted at the bus. A head popped from the windows and looked around. It was him. I ran faster. Seeing him just encouraged me and made me remember the day in our gym class when we were running a race. I twisted my ankle and I couldn't walk anymore. He came up with an anxious look and he carried me to the school clinic. He looked as anxious now as he was when I got hurt. He's probably thinking I might trip and fall. The bus started to move slowly. I jogged and reach the bus' window.

"Sakura?" he said in surprise.

"Syaoran-kun,I-" I said as I jogged,panting. "I love you!"

He smiled the warmest and most beautiful smile he ever showed me. That smile that always sets me into a good mood everyday. I found lips twitching into a smile too. I handed the teddy bear to him. I felt my eyes moisten and the tears I've been shedding for the last few days came out.

"Can I call it 'Sakura' ?" he asked as he took the bear from me.

"Yes. And can I call the one you gave me 'Syaoran' ?" I replied shakily.

"Of course." he said. "I'll come back!"

"When's that?"

"I have some things to do at Hong Kong and it'll take time. Will you wait for me?"

"I will!" I called as I slowed down and the bus sped ahead of me. I waved at his face sticking out of the window. I waved until the bus was out of sight.

I will wait. Even if I had to wait forever. Because he's the most important person in my life.

"Hey." a voice said behind me and I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was Touya. "You alright?"

"I'm fine onii-chan."

"C'mon let's go back."

Even though I knew he would come back,I couldn't help but cry. Maybe it's because I may not see him for a long time. I will miss him very much. It felt as though a big chunk of my heart was missing. No. My whole heart was missing. That's because Syaoran took it with him and I have his. It's going to be different now because I won't see him around. He won't be sitting behind me at school. He won't be walking me home after school. He won't be there to say 'it's ok'.

I remembered what Eriol said a few days ago before he left Tomoeda.

'Think of what you're feeling when the person you love is going away, and how different it is from what you're feeling now.'

I cried all day long. I couldn't help it. Kero and the others tried to comfort me but I was still upset. I know I shouldn't cry. I know that if I did it would only hurt him. And I know deep inside me that everything will surely be alright.


	2. Late Again

Late Again

"KAIJUU! You're gonna be late for school!" shouted a distant male voice.  
>A fourteen year old youth opened her emerald eyes unwillingly and started. She stared groggily at her clock. It still hasn't alarmed yet. She decided it was still early and that her brother,who had just shouted from the kitchen was just having his usual time exaggerating hobby. But then her eyesight became clearer than usual,high definition even. And she did a double take at the clock.<br>Its star tipped fingers showed that it was 7.30. She checked once,twice and three times to make sure.

Her classes start at 8.15. But she has classroom duty today and has to arrive earlier.

Oh shit.

"HOOOOOEEEEEE!" she exclaimed. She swore under her breath as she wriggled out of her warm and comfy bed and hurriedly went to the bathroom. She came back within minutes and wrenched open her closet a little violently. It looked as if it might topple over. Her dresser opened and revealed a cat like creature which showed a look of frustration and annoyance.  
>"What the hell Sakura?" it spoke catching the emerald eyed girl's attention who was in the middle of fixing her hair. "You know,you should practise waking up early for a change. So you wouldn't be able to scream that scream when you realise how terribly late you are."<p>

"Gomen nasai,Kero-chan. I was just so tired and I forgot to set the alarm." Sakura muttered apologetically.  
>Kero gave a huge sigh and flew to the top of the dresser, "Even from when I first met you until you've grown an alarmingly good bit, you still haven't changed Sakura."<p>

Sakura grinned.

"Of course I haven't! I'll still be me. Oh yeah,Tomoyo-chan is coming over here after school and she'll be bringing the cake we made in Home Ec."  
>"Waiii Waii!" Kero punched the air in joy. "I shall forgive you this time for disturbing my sleep Sakura!"<p>

"Jeez Kero,you already had ice cream,cakes and okonomiyaki yesterday and now your greedy appetite still craves more. Is that all you do for your whole lifetime? Eat and sleep?" Sakura said in an undertone and shook her head disapprovingly.  
>"What was that?" asked Kero stopping on the midst of doing a somersault.<p>

"Nothing! I'll see you later Kero-chan!"

"Has Sakura awoken already?" Kinomoto Fujitaka asked his son when he heard Sakura's screech of terror.

"By the looks of it,yeah." Kinomoto Touya casually said munching his breakfast.

"She should hurry up,she'll be late." Fujitaka said concerned. He was stirring the miso soup for breakfast with a ladle.  
>"Otou-san!" Sakura hopped the last few steps of the stairs,walked up to her father and hugged him. "Ohayo gozaimasu!" she greeted in her usual cheery voice.<p>

She turned her head around to see the picture of her late mother,Kinomoto Nadeshiko. She smiled and greeted the picture.

"You should be careful,you might leave the whole house falling apart if you keep walking in those big monster strides kaijuu." Touya said drinking his juice,his back to Sakura.

" Shut it Onii-chan!" Sakura said clenching her fist. She went to the table to sit opposite to Touya but stomped her foot on his in the proccess.  
>Her brother growled in pain and Sakura sniggered and smiled innocently.<br>She ate her breakfast which consisted of miso soup,rice,nattou and tsukemono. Touya suddenly stood up to leave.  
>"I'm going." he said and nodded to Fujitaka,hauling up his schoolbag.<br>"HOE? But I thought you weren't supposed to come in until eight thirty?" Sakura said.  
>"I have to drop these off." Touya said simply a case full of papers in his hand and opened the door.<br>"Matte, onii-chan!" Sakura called but too late,Touya already vanished outside.

Sakura hastened to finish her food,her eyes watering when she swallowed to quickly. She gulped her juice,thanked her dad and grabbed her schoolbag and her packed lunch.

Sakura wore her shoes (she had abandoned her rollerblades and moved on to walking) and dashed out to catch up with her brother on his bike. But when she reached the corner where the row of peach blossoms bloomed endlessly he was nowhere to be found.  
>"Gosh Touya's really in a hurry." she checked her watch. 8.00. "Hoe! So am I!"<p>

She walked faster past shops and dodging people. A few minutes later,she arrived at the entrance to Seijou Highschool. She passed the tree bordered walk that led to the school building. When she reached her locker inside,she stashed her packed lucnh safely inside and ran to their homeroom. She wrenched the door open and her friends, Rika,Naoko,Chiharu and Tomoyo-chan erupted into applause.

"You made it!"

"That was a new record Sakura-chan!"

"That's our Sakura-chan from elementary to middle school."

Sakura greeted them, "Ohayo gozaimasu!"

"I did your class duty instead. You were running late again." Tomoyo said disapprovingly.

"I-"

"Over-slept. I know. You've been like that for the past few days Sakura-chan." Tomoyo said more gently as they walked to their seats.

Sakura slumped wearily on her chair. "I'm very tired. I didn't sleep well last night."

"Why?" Tomoyo asked frowning.

"I don't know. I'm just feeling dozy all the time."

The door opened once more and revealed a woman in her 20s. She had blonde hair and amazingly beautiful ocean blue eyes. She is their teacher, Hayashi-sensei. Hayashi -sensei is a very attractive woman,you could mistake her for a model.

"Take your seats everyone." she smiled showing pearly white teeth.

"Now, your results for your music test are very impressive. Some are having some difficulty in some parts but did reasonably well. I'm very pleased with the effort you put in it-"

Sakura's mind wandered to space. She absolutely felt tired and sleepy again. She rested her head on her arms and struggled to listen to what Hayashi-sensei said.

She was floating in mid-air with no means of support from her Fly card or Jump card. She was floating towards the light but a figure of a woman blocked it. The person had long dark hair which was billowing against her face. It was unusual because there wasn't even wind around them. Her silhouette was concealed by the dark. She thought she saw the person smile. But the smile was different: it was more like a cruel smile than a friendly one. The woman stepped back letting in the light flood her entire body...

"Sakura! Wake up!" said a frantic voice from a far away distance.

"H-hoe?" Sakura said fluttering her eyes open. She had slept throughout class. Tomoyo was beside her as if on the verge of tears. Hayashi-sensei was next to Tomoyo with a look of concern etched on her face. So was Rika,Chiharu,Naoko and Yamazaki-kun. In fact the whole class were looking at her.

"Are you alright Kinomoto-san?" Hayashi-sensei asked feeling Sakura's forehead for symptoms of fever.

"Ha-hai." Sakura said weakly.

"I think you should go to the clinic. Maybe it's fatigue" Hayashi-sensei considered. "Daidouji-san,can you go with Sakura-chan?"

"Hai." Tomoyo said firmly.

Sakura got up and swayed a bit and held onto Tomoyo for support.

"Sakura-chan what happened?" Tomoyo asked once they were in the empty hallway.

"I don't know. I just fell asleep,I was so tired."

Sakura thought about her dream. She remembered floating and a light but that was all. She was sure there was more to it. Sakura has been having these dreams when she started getting sleepy only a week ago. She always couldn't remember the rest of the dream.

~oOo~

Sakura went home a few minutes after she arrived at the school clinic followed by Touya who has been informed of her state. Tomoyo and Yukito visited her after school. Kero was also worried and was now immersed in his deep thoughts.

"Are you alright Sakura-chan?" Tomoyo asked carrying a bowl of soup and placed it on her bedside table.

"Hai. Daijobou Tomoyo-chan." Sakura assured her for at least the tenth time.

The door opened and revealed an unsmiling Yue. The air in the room became serious as he stepped inside. Sakura who was expecting it to be Yukito screamed in shock.

"HOE!"

"I thought you would have gotten used to me." Yue said in a cool voice rolling his eyes.

"I-,well I-" Sakura spluttered.

Yue ignored her. "I sensed a presence."

This new information made Sakura look up at Yue. Kero who had been quiet for the whole time seems to have been slapped in the face and returned to the present.

"A new presence you say?" Kero said wonderingly.

"Clow-san's...I mean Eriol-kun's?" Sakura asked hopefully. If it was Eriol she would be overjoyed. They haven't seen each other for a long time and she would have liked it if he payed them a visit. They only have contact with each other through phone calls and letters.

"No. A presence stronger than Clow's."

"N-nani?" Sakura yelped,choking on her soup.

"Clow's power was split in half. Of course it's stronger." Kero said matter-of-factly.

"It's stronger than when Clow's magic wasn't split in half." Yue said darkly.

"HOE?" Sakura exclaimed. "Do you know whose presence it is?"

Yue only shook his head and said no more.

The whole evening was quiet. The eerie silence is deafening. Tomoyo turned the T.V on to watch the news. Nothing unusual was featured,only a few car accidents and weather reports. Yukito and Tomoyo didn't leave the house and decided to stay in overnight. They ate their dinner and chatted a bit. After that they went to their own rooms. Yukito in the empty guest bedroom and Sakura,Tomoyo and Kero in Sakura's room. Touya left for his night duty at a restaurant.

When all the lights were out and Tomoeda was fast asleep Sakura was still awake,staring at her ceiling. Beside her was Tomoyo her back to her sleeping soundly. What is it with the new presence and her becoming suddenly sleepy? Is it like the matter with Yukito that she can't sleep? Is it because her powers are not enough? But it can't be. Her cardcaptor duty was finished. There won't be any trouble in Tomoeda...right? Sakura pondered about these thoughts and eventually dozed off.

She was enveloped with darkness. She kept walking but it seemed as if she was stil in the same place. Then there was light ahead of her. It was when she realized that she was floating. Curiosity and longing for daylight overwhelmed her and she floated towards the source of the light. It grew bigger the closer she gets. She floated towards it. A figure of a woman blocked her path. She stopped and squinted to see who it was but the woman's face was obscured.

"Who..are you?"

The woman opened her mouth and spoke, "You'll see soon enough."

Sakura woke up,breathing heavily and sweating. The lights were turned on. Tomoyo,Kero and Yue were once again,around her bed. She glanced at the clock; it was two o'clock in the morning.

"What happened?" Tomoyo asked with a slight frown on her forehead. She handed her a glass of water which she gratefully accepted. Sakura took a sip of water.

"I-I don't know." she muttered confused. It was that dream again and this time the woman in her dreams spoke: "You'll see soon enough."

It rang in her head like bells. What was that all about. She could feel her heart beating like drums.

"You look pale. And you're cold too." Tomoyo said with increasing alarm.

Sakura noticed she was shaking. But she was also sweating. She pulled the blankets up to her chin. Her head ached as if it had been banged on the wall a dozen times.

"The presence!" Yue suddenly said making everyone turn to his direction.

"I can feel it too. It's somewhere close." Kero said nodding.

"Why can't I feel it?" Sakura said confused.

"What?" Kero and Yue said in unison.

"That can't be. You're powers are strong enough you can even sense Clow's." Kero exclaimed.

"Let's consult the cards." Sakura suggested.

"Good idea."

Kero flew to the dresser and took out the Sakura card book. He landed on the bed and placed it in front of Sakura who opened it and took out the cards.

She took out her star key which had always remained resting around her neck.

"Key which hides the powers of the stars. Show your true form before me. Through our contract,I,Sakura,command you, RELEASE!"

The star key grew bigger and bigger. When it had transformed into a staff Sakura opened her mouth again but gasped instead. The star key had shrank into it's small size.

"Release!" Sakura said holding out the star key. But it remained the same and did not transform.

"What's the meaning of this?" Sakura said taking out her cards. It was glowing.

"You're worried for me." Sakura said and scattered the cards.

This time everyone in the room gasped as they closed in for a better look; two of the cards are not glowing.

**So what do you think? I didn't really have a clear idea about where this was going to but that's how it came out! Any suggestions and ideas are welcome. Please review ****this story too and make me happy! I love you all 3 **


	3. It Has Been A Long Time

It has been a long time

Sakura stayed in her house for the whole week after her sudden fever three days ago after school. She was visited daily by an anxious Tomoyo who always brought her homemade cakes,sweets and cookies. Their family doctor came and gave prescription of medicines she needed to take. But her physical form isn't the only dilemma she's facing but also her magic. After the encounter with her star key and the two cards Yue considered that she was losing her power. Sakura had managed to transform the key next day without it shrinking back and asked the cards what was happening. The Mirror card says that the two which haven't been glowing lost it's powers.

"You mean they're ordinary cards now?" Sakura said on the verge of tears.

"They're almost ordinary cards." the Light card responded gravely.

This mind boggling events made Sakura feel sick and dizzy just by thinking about it. Kero kept suggesting things about a secret Clow card that Sakura hadn't managed to capture yet is causing this and that Eriol might have forgotten to mention it.  
>"Oh c'mon Kero-chan," Sakura repeated for the tenth time, "There isn't any of those 'unrevealed' cards that you're talking about -"<p>

Kero made to open his mouth to retaliate but Sakura beat him to it talking more loudly.

"- AND even Eriol says so himself that everything about card capturing is finished. I couldn't even think of Eriol forgetting important matters because he is definitely not the kind of guy who does."

"Sakura, you should start believing that there isn't anything impossible -"

"Stop it you two! Sakura-chan,Kero-chan,give it a rest ok? We'll figure this thing out sooner that you expect." Tomoyo said breaking their argument.

~oOo~

Sakura went back to school on Monday when her tiredness seemed to have vanished in a snap during the weekends and insisted to go because she was feeling alright. Her dad and brother argued with her but at the end she won the battle. They agreed that if she ever falls asleep again,she's going to take two weeks off school until she's better. Sakura was forced to agree because it was the only thing that could make her go to school, but she has to try her best not to faint. Not like she's going to but still.

"I'm off!" she said cheerful again walking through streets, passing houses and a few students. She was early and that was good. The reason was because she was excited for the upcoming fare Seijou Highschool is hosting. The early morning sun shone over Tomoeda and the crisp autumn breeze wafted through people's noses. She turned the corner where the peach blossoms grew in abundance, it's petals showering the whole area. Sakura finally reached the high school gates. It has beautiful ornate white-washed stone pillars and an arch above with the words: "Seijou National Highschool"

The vicotrian gates which were already open was embossed by gold paint. Sakura never noticed how beautiful her school was. Maybe that's because she was always late and her being early was a rare thing. Behind the pillars were elegant varieties of trees which set a pathway leading up to the ornate building. The trees towered over her and dappled the ground with yellow spots. The sun was in full blast on the path creating stage light effects of yellow and light green. A woodpecker flew about a maple tree and a family of kingfishers were twittering in a neighboring pagoda tree.

The light air rustled the leaves on the grassy floor and shook off some more leaves from the trees. As Sakura trotted along, she heard movement somewhere in the shades of the trees. She ignored it thinking it was just some small animal scurrying by. But it became hasty and it was coming towards her.

If anything happens,I'm gonna run to the school,Sakura thought, which was very silly of her considering that she had dangerous experiences from the cardcaptor days. The eeriness of the area deafened her ears as she continued to walk looking left and right anxiously. She wondered why there weren't any students passing by this way. The movements stopped and she took a breath and whirled around. She found herself looking into soft amber eyes. Her heart skipped a beat. 'Is this a dream?' she thought. It certainly wasn't. Everything felt so real she could have captured the moment in her own bare hands. Sakura gave a litte "Oh!" in surprise. It really was a surprise because she haven't seen those eyes for so long her head ached. "Syaoran?" she said in a small voice still awestruck at the figure standing in front of her.

"Sakura." he said almost whispering her name. His brown hair danced with the sunlight. It was as tangled as it was four years ago. His eyes searched for her longingly as if they would never see each other again. He was a bit broader than before and in his hand clutched was a winged bear in the name of Sakura which Sakura herself made the day before his departure. She could swear that her eyes started to moisten when her gaze fell upon the innocent bear.

"I'm finished with the business I have to do in Hong Kong. I can live in Tomoeda now."

Her heart started to pound loudly against her chest,she wondered if he could hear it too. Sakura seemed to have lost her voice but when she heard this she found words forming in her mouth.

"We don't have to go through phone calls or letters?" her voice cracked. The bell rang signaling that class is going to start in ten minutes. They both ignored it. Never mind if she was going to be late,she didn't care now that "he" is back.

"No." was his reply.

Sakura closed the little gap between them and hugged him tightly. Her tears were flowing freely now like it did when she watched Syaoran go.

His embrace was warm and gentle. He looked and smelled the same. Sakura closed her eyes and took in his scent never wanting to let him go. It was just like it was two years ago. As she felt his arms wrapped around her,everything felt so right,so perfect,so inevitable. The last two years of him missing from her life seemed to never have existed. How long they stood there neither of them knows. She wondered if she ever used the Time card to freeze this moment by accident, but she was happy all the same.

The bell rang again for the second time making the both of them jump. Sakura laughed and Syaoran joined in.  
>Sakura noticed that he was wearing the Seijou Highschool uniform. Syaoran who saw her eyes studying his uniform chuckled and said, "I'm attending your school."<p>

Sakura's eyes sparkled. "Really?" she said excitedly.

Syaoran nodded.

~oOo~

They walked hand in hand out the school gates,with Tomoyo beside Sakura. Syaoran was telling them what he was doing in Hong Kong and how long he had to wait until he comes back to Tomoeda. It turned out that he was the heir of the Li family business company as soon as he hits sixteen. The current temporary president for the company was his mother Yelan Li.

"What's going to happen when you're sixteen Syaoran? Aren't you going to be the president then?" Tomoyo asked out of curiosity.

Sakura was slightly crestfallen. Tomoyo was right. Soon enough he's going to become president and he's gonna have to go back to Hong Kong.

"I'm not sure if I want to be president." Syaoran said with a little frown and shrugged the matter off,changing the topic.

Sakura thought deeply of this until they reached her house (they all decided they would hang around in Sakura's house for a while) when Syaoran's words shook her out of her trance.  
>"Something wrong Sakura?" Syaoran asked noticing that she stayed quiet during the walk.<p>

"Eh? Oh nothing,everything's fine." she smiled wanly.

Tomoyo shot her a glance which brought Sakura to another matter. Syaoran still didn't know about the two cards and her star key.

"Sakura!" Kero squealed when Sakura opened the main door.

"Kero-chan! Where's onii-chan and otou-san?" Sakura said ushering Syaoran and Tomoyo inside.

"They're not home yet." Kero said letting them in and flew to the living room but did a double take and eyed Syaoran.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Kero exclaimed.

"What did you say?" Syaoran said glaring at the winged creature.

"Kero-chan! Stop it. Syaoran just came back." Sakura said.

"Just came back eh?" Kero said crossing his arms,sneering, "I bet he just missed my super cool form."

"Your nothing but a stuffed little animal." Syaoran pointed out and shoved him off.

"Nani?" Syaoran said seriously after she told him everything that happened over the past week. They had eaten their snacks in Sakura's bedroom. Tomoyo

left earlier because her mom wanted her home. Kero was downstairs playing video games and Touya and her dad are still at work. This left Sakura and Syaoran alone.

"Sakura,why didn't you tell me this?"

"It just happened a week ago but I'm alright now." Sakura said trying for a smile. But Syaoran knew her too well to be easily fooled.

"But why didn't you tell me?"

"I-" Sakura said but failed as she looked at his face. She didn't want to make him worry. She didn't want him to risk everything for her. He already left her once,she didn't want that to happen again. She took a deep breath and tried again.

"I don't want you to worry about me."

Syaoran's eyes softened. "Sakura,I have to worry about you. I don't want to lose you again." he said

So they both have the same thoughts.

"Have you got any clue who or what is causing this?"

Sakura shook her head avoiding his gaze. Silence engulfed the whole room. The absence of sounds pounded into Sakura's ears. She dared glance at him.

He wasn't looking at her or at anything. His eyes were just blank and his expression unreadable. Sakura never noticed how handsome he was. His face was fine and smooth and his chestnut hair was ruffled and messy. His masculine figure gave him an impression that he'll protect. No matter what the consequences,he'll protect the one that's precious for him and that's what he's trying to do. For her.

Minutes passed in desperate silence. Syaoran suddenly got up and made to open the door.

Sakura caught his hand and held him there. "Can we stay like this just for a while?" she whispered. "I miss you Syaoran,I really do. I've never talked to you for so long. Can we start this all over again?"

Syaoran considered and sat back down.

They talked,exchanged their experiences and laughed at each others jokes. They've never done this for quite a while now. Syaoran changed a bit too,Sakura thought. He was more open and he smiled a lot more than the past years they have been together. His smile was genuine. One that would release butterflies in her stomach and make her heart race faster.

That night,Touya came home followed by Yukito. Touya frowned when he saw Syaoran but said nothing. He knew that he'd hurt her little sister if he says something bad to Syaoran. Touya saw it in his own eyes how Sakura hasn't been able to cope for days on Syaoran's absence. Syaoran stayed for dinner,wanting to converse with Yue about the sakura card matters. They ate mostly in silence. Yukito kept asking Syaoran questions about Hong Kong and what he did there. Syaoran answered his question a little unenthusiastically.

Sakura can tell that some part of the stuff he was doing in HongKong was something he didn't like and certainly didn't want to talk about.

After dinner,while Touya was washing the dishes, Sakura and Syaoran sat in the living room gulping tea with Yue sitting across them. Kero in his small form was perched on the table munching on a piece of cake.

"What has been happening?" Syaoran ask a hint of impatience in his voice.

"Sakura told you hasn't she?" Kero said with his mouth full but still managed to speak clearly.

"Yes. Yue,Sakura said that you sensed a new presence-?"

"I did. It's gone now. It was very string the night the cards were discovered that they were losing their powers."

"But we don't know who is doing this yet." Kero added.

"We can use fortune telling with the cards right?" Sakura said.

"We could but we're missing two cards? We won't be able to get a proper result." Yue said quietly.

_Who...are you?_

Sakura's head suddenly burst in pain. 'Get a grip of yourself!' she scolded herself while trying to act natural.

"When did the presence vanish?" Sakura could hear Syaoran's voice interviewing Yue and Kero from afar.

Her mind was slowly going blank and visions were flying past her like a moving on fast forward.

The day she opened the Clow Card book and released all the Clow cards.

Kero helping her catch the fly card.

Tomoyo video taping her after her victory in capturing the shadow card.

Syaoran's first appearance in their school.

She was turning the Light and Dark card into Sakura cards.

Eriol declaring he was the reincarnation of Clow Reed.

And everything went black...

"Sakura."

She was in a dark place. She couldn't figure out where she was or why she got there. The only thing she knew is that there was light and she should get there. As she drifted to the source of light a figure blocked her path. The figure had a feminine frame. Her hair was long and straight and looked as if wind was blowing through it. But the odd thing was,there's no wind.

"Sakura." she said in a whisper. It echoed around the bizarre place like a thousand people were saying her name.

"Who...are you?" Sakura asked.

The person smiled.

"Sakura!"

Sakura wearily opened her eyes. Her head was on Syaoran's shoulder. It appears that she had fallen asleep after all that. Another dream. It was a different one now. The person's face wasn't covered in shadow. She couldn't picture out her face. It was blurred in her memory but she couldn't remember it being blurred in her dream. She was sure it was clear as crystal.

"Are you alright?" Kero asked flying over to check Sakura's temperature. "You don't have a fever."

"Of course I don't." she said irritably. Why did they have to wake her up? She wanted to know the reason behind that smile. She wanted to go further in that dream.

Syaoran left at eight o'clock that night. Yukito stayed in the house due to the project they were doing with Touya.

Sakura went to bed with Kero at her heels. When Sakura closed the door it was when she decided she should confide the dream to Kero who was humming lightly to himself.

"Kero-chan?"

"Yeah?"

"I had a dream when you and Yue were talking to Syaoran."

"A dream?" Kero said,his full attention to Sakura who was twisting her hair absent mindedly.

"Yeah. I was in this dark place and there was light. I went to the light and then this person stepped in front of me blocking my way."

"Who's that?"

"I don't know. But it's very strange and I always have that dream the night the cards were losing power."

"It must be involved with these things going on. But now Sakura is the time you sleep. Just give this all a rest for now." Kero said.

Sakura nodded and fell fast asleep.

She thought she heard Kero say, "A card lost it's power again. How long will this keep happening?"

What did he mean by what he said? Did one of the cards loose power and became an ordinary card? No,she absolutely can't let that happen. She was their mistress and she was bound to the cards with the contract she herself signed. She'll figure this thing out and stop this ruckus. Because everything will surely be alright.


	4. The First Challenge

"Hoe! I can't do it!" Sakura cried holding a icing bag in one hand. They we're baking cakes in their double Home Ec. Class. She was trying to frost a devil's food cake in front of her but with no luck. It was messy and she had to remove the icing again and again twice this time already. She glared daggers at the cake as thought it had been rude to her.

The whole class were like a hive of bees. Everyone was talking,no surprise there. But a few were taking a look at their classmates works and some borrowing tools or ingredients.

"Sakura,stay put and keep calm. You won't be able to do that job if you keep grunting and moaning." Tomoyo advised a small smile formed her porcelain-like face. She herself had managed to frost her angel cake easily and with no mistakes. Tomoyo was great at cooking and designing clothes. She was good at singing too. Sakura admired her for keeping her cool all the time. Especially at the time when Tomoyo was all alone in the music room at school and Sakura,Syaoran and Kero had to find her using the shadow card. Sakura cried that night. She was scared for Tomoyo and was not herself. Thanks to Syaoran she gathered the courage and determination to do her best. All in all Sakura saluted Tomoyo's acts.

"Ok,everyone,stop what you're doing." their teacher declared,everyone who just had finished adding their finishing touches to their masterpiece looked up triumphantly. "Clean all your tools and let them dry beside the washing sink while I examine your cakes."

"Phew,that was a big workload." Sakura sighed taking off her apron and gathered her equipments to wash them. It took her the whole class to frost her cake. She could feel cold sweat running down from her forehead and she hastily wiped it with the back of her hand.

"It was fun." Rika said with a smile plastered on her face. Rika was also very good at cooking too. She made a black forest cake topped with vanilla frosting and glazed cherries.

"Yeah it was." Naoko said lightly wiping her hands clean with a kitchen towel.

"You know about cakes-" Yamazaki said abruptly making the group of friends jump.

"You can tell your lies later." Chiharu said skeptically covering his mouth.

"Sakura-chan you look worn out,what's the matter?" Chiharu commented on Sakura's weary state.

"Huh? Oh it's nothing." Sakura replied waving her hands to dismiss the subject.

The last minutes of Home Ec class consisted of praises from the teacher on all of their work. Sakura's devil's food cake turned out to be great and Sakura's lips curved into a small sheepish smile. The bell rang and they filed out of the classroom to Maths.

"Ugghh. We've maths now. I don't feel like learning maths." Sakura said disgruntled and pouted. Tomoyo giggled as Syaoran came into view and joined them.

"Hey,how was Home Ec.?"

"It was fine." Sakura answered dully.

"You look pale. Anything wrong-?"

Sakura only shook her head and did not anwser.

Syaoran frowned but did not open his mouth to argue. Instead he let it drop seeing Sakura looking very exhausted.

Maths went on with more confusing equations and formulas including how to solve the midpoint of a line segment and measuring the distance of a line.

Sakura tried her best to concentrate but her mind kept thinking of the dream she had last night. She struggled to answer the questions and didn't get most of the lectures.

Sakura was about to doze off when something peculiar and what shouldn't be happening caught her full and utter attention. The teacher's voice was muted. The ruffling and shuffling of notes and scribbling of pens on paper was hushed. Everything was deadly quiet. The whole environment seemed to be in a state of sleep. But the problem was her class mates weren't sound asleep. They were staring endlessly at the teacher who had her mouth open but not making any sort of sounds. This scared Sakura. Beside her, Tomoyo, with a pen in hand, was frozen in mid air as if she was about to raise her hand but was stopped by an unknown force.

"What's...what's happening?" Sakura said horror struck at the scenario before her eyes.

"Time has stopped." a voice said behind her. She turned around and found Syaoran on his feet tapping Yamazaki on the shoulder. He wasn't moving.

"Why are we moving but the others aren't?" she heard herself say in an unsually high pitched voice.

"We have enough magical powers to sustain us at this state." Syaoran replied calmly.

"Is Kero and Yue not frozen too?" she thought she knew the answer to this.

"It's a possibility,yeah."

Sakura was already standing up before Syaoran could finish his sentence and was out the door in a flash.

"Oi! Wait!"

Sakura was sprinting down the corridor. After a few seconds Syaoran was at her heels. She ran as fast as she could across the school grounds but she halted when she saw Kero and Yue flying towards them. There was no wind or signs of life. The trees looked like they were dead and the sun was glowing without any warmth.

"Did you sense it?" Kero asked.

"Sense what?" Sakura raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Yeah,I did. I can feel the presence getting stronger." Syaoran said gritting his teeth.

"Why can't I sense anything at all?" Sakura said looking questioningly at Syaoran,Kero and Yue then back to Syaoran.

"No time for explanations. Follow me." Yue announced urging all of them to come with him.

"Matte!" Sakura said. She took out her star key that was hung around her neck and transformed it into a staff. With the Fly card in her hand (which she procured from her pocket where she now carried the cards around with her everyday) she tapped it with the star staff.

"FLY!"

She grew soft,fluffy wings and she felt it beat the air and she was flying.

"Syaoran,you ride on Kero-chan!"

"Alright."

They rose up and up until they had a clear view of Tomoeda.

"Is that it there?" Sakura pointed at an area which shot blue sparks that hung in the air. It was weird and she could feel a distant vibration from it. Even though she couldn't feel the presence,she just had this strange feeling about it.

"I can feel it stronger at that place." Yue nodded.

They landed on a building near where the blue sparks are emanating from.

"What is it?" Kero said aghast.

Before them was a huge swirling black hole which emitted the bizzare blue sparks. The black hole swirled even faster making it a black and blue blur. Sakura's heart thumped and thumped against her chest as she watched it's progress with mild curiousity.

"Get..." said a faint voice. It was very faint that Sakura was surprised she heard it. It was almost like a gentle whisper of the wind. But there wasn't any.

Sakura jumped a little in surprise. She whipped around rather sharply at the three who was standing behind her in a rather dazed state at the furor that had brought them there.

"What?" she said addressing them.

"What?" Kero and Yue asked in the same manner in unison.

"You said something."

"None of us said anything." Yue stated.

Sakura was hit by those words. None of them...said anything? But she was sure she heard a voice saying something. Was it..."Go." ? No...it was...

"Get..."

"What now?" Sakura was starting to get a bit frustrated.

"What's wrong?" said Syaoran.

"Someone's saying something."

"Huh? But we didn't hear anything." replied Kero.

"But then... who-?"

"Get rid of..."

This time it was louder,like someone was saying it to Sakura's ears and it wasn't Kero,Yue or Syaoran. As a matter of fact it was another voice. One that belonged to a female. It was a flinty if not commanding voice which brought chills up her spine. Sakura's body shook and shivered.

"Get rid of it!" it finally said completing it's sentence.

"How?" Sakura thought. She could use her cards but the erase and glow are 'almost' ordinary cards. The cards! Now that she remembered,she also had another pressing dilemma. She was beginning to get desperate when Syaoran abruptly toppled over to the ground. Then he was being dragged...by nothing. It was as if an invisible rope was pulling him to the edge. To where the black hole was. He was fighting to get up but something was keeping him flat on the cold cement floor of the top roof of the building. He was nearly on the edge,his hands gripping onto the rampart. Then everything in Sakura's mind became clear and ticked.

Oh hell NO.

When Sakura's brain came to life again and worked properly,she ran toward Syaoran and grabbed hold of his hand before he fell below. She had dropped her star staff a few inches behind her. The Fly card was abandoned a bit further from the staff.

"Syaoran! Hold on!" she screamed,on her knees grasping his hands tightly.

Yue and Kero rushed to help but was stopped by an invisible barrier between them and Sakura.

"We can't get through!" Yue shouted banging his fists furiously against the invisible glass like barrier.

"Shit!" Sakura mumbled as she struggled to get Syaoran up but he was too heavy. She held on to him with both hands and pulled as if her life depended on it. Which it actually did. To Syaoran.

'I can't let him go. I have to keep holding on.' she thought fiercely.

Syaoran was saying something but Sakura wasn't listening. Her palms were starting to get sweaty and she had to figure something out fast.

"Use your Fly card Sakura!" Kero called from behind.

"I-I can't!" Sakura screeched back. But she had to in Syaoran's life-and-death situation. She let go of one hand and scrambled for her staff. She reached for the Fly card and bellowed "FLY!" and tapped it hurriedly. Her wings magically unfurled and flapped.

Slip.

"No! Syaoran!"

She was in tears when she realized that she had let him go. Cursing fate,she stood up and flew as fast as she could to his helpless falling figure. At once,the blue sparks which have been hanging relentlessly in the air shot into her direction like it sensed her coming their way. Sakura stretched her arms to reach out for him but he was falling too quickly and was not within reach for her. She dodged a couple of blue sparks whizzing at her.

Her mind and heart was racing wildly and was about to explode. She couldn't think of anything else but to save Syaoran. Her Syaoran whom she had waited for two miserable and lonely years. Her tears blurred her eyesight as she flew like a cannonball. A blue spark hit the edge of her left wing and began to burn.

"Aaahh!"

The black hole and the blue sparks unexpectedly faded into a mass of dust as she lost her balance with her wings but she kept going.

'Where is he,where is he?' she thought frantically biting her lip so hard it started spurting blood. Her eyes did a 360 degrees search for a sign of brown messy hair,kind and light amber eyes or a flailing body.

With one wing still intact, she looked around for Syaoran but he wasn't there anywhere. This was all her fault. Everything was. It was her fault why Syaoran left. She didn't tell him what she felt and kept him hanging. It discouraged him and upset him too in a lot of hurtful ways Sakura couldn't imagine. I guess he had been gathering up all his courage to tell her. How brave of him,she thought. Not like her. She was very stupid for that and she ought to punish herself. Was this her punishment? It doesn't make sense though. He came back and her suffering was already finished.

Or was it?

Had she not acted earlier this shouldn't have happened. If she should die,let it be. Her wing beat energetically but it couldn't keep her in the air.

She closed her eyes and waited for the end breathing shakily. She had not expected to die like this. She had wanted to die in Syaoran's arms. She prayed that Yue and Kero would be able to fix everything if she reached her end.

She felt herself fall slowly and wind was surrounding her like a hurricane. Is this what dying feels like? She didn't know.

All she knew was that she was out of breath and Syaoran was gone. He's might be...

~oOo~

She felt strong,warm arms around her and this made her gasp quietly and hold her breath. It felt like an angel's embrace and it was very caressing and full of love and passion. The moment she opened her eyes,she saw a clear blue sky and amber eyes playing in the sunlight gazing at her. The sunlight dazzled her moist eyes which had released tears.

"Don't cry." the angel said with a melancholy voice which was enough to make her heart ache and wiped her face from her river of tears.

Sakura held her gaze at the amber orbs that showed concern and worry.

"Don't ever do that Sakura. I can take care of myself." he said gently stroking her auburn hair.

At that moment,she realized that those eyes were Syaoran's. Sakura sat bolt upright as memories of her near death flooded back to her. Syaoran was sitting on the uneven ground of a street. As she sat up her hand shot up to her head and she groaned. Her head was sporting the worse headache she had ever encountered in her whole lifetime.

Syaoran pushed her back onto his lap in a lying position.

"Don't. Just rest for a minute alright?"

Sakura nodded slightly her head throbbing viciously with unbelievable pain. She did not utter a sound for five minutes as she waited with impatience when her headache slowly ceased. She heard Yue and Kero conversing quietly in a corner shooting glances every now and then at their silent mistress. They looked serious and solemn,Sakura wondered why.

Her headache slowly dissolved into horrible memories of the black hole and left her as fragile as ever. Time didn't seem to have resumed. Kero and Yue were as clueless as she was at how to solve this other problem. After a few fruitless moments in which some of them opened their mouths but closed it yet again, the silence which bugged Sakura finally made her to decide that they go back to school and investigate.

Sakura stood up,wobbled a little, and her star staff in her hand she took out her fly card again.

"FLY!"

Nothing happened.

"Nani?" Sakura whispered horrified.

Her eyes fell on the innocent card in her hand. It feels... cold. As though it was lifeless. Empty. As though it lost its power.


	5. Time Out

Last week's events boggled Sakura like a 9.5 Richter scaled earthquake. They flew to school (Sakura and Syaoran having ridden on Kero) and didn't even have to think about the frozen time when it started again at the time where they were baking cakes at Home Ec.

Sakura's first impression was, time will freeze again at Maths and they will have to go through that cycle all over again unless they find a way out of the loop hole. It appeared that she was mistaken because their classes ran smoothly without any weird ruckus.

With the Fly card eliminated of its power, Sakura's magical ability lessened as the hours of that day passed in a blur. They asked the cards for help but the only reply they have is that someone is trying to steal the cards' powers one by one.

"I know that! But who is doing all this?" Sakura cried putting up her hands angrily indicating their situation.

"Forgive us mistress but we really don't know. All we know for sure is that that person's magic has been becoming stronger these days. You ought to be careful." The Light said in a graver tone.

Sakura sighed and loosened up. "I'm sorry guys, I know it's not your fault. I've been depressed and now I'm taking out my anger to you."

"Sakura-chan, maybe you should give it a rest for a while." Tomoyo perked up placing a hand on her best friend's shoulder.

"But-!"

"No Sakura-chan! You have to chill for a bit. Being like this will not help you." Tomoyo insisted gripping Sakura's shoulder more tightly.

Sakura surrendered unwillingly and put her hands up in defeat. "Alright. You win."

"Then," Tomoyo said clapping her hands together, "shall we go to the city? Perhaps,visit Tokyo Tower?"

"You decide." Sakura said her lips twitching into a smile.

I guess I could really need some air,she thought as she watched Tomoyo bounce around her room like a demented rabbit.

Friday gave in to the weekends as Sakura lay on her bed without suffering a single dream about the one with the veiled woman. In fact, she didn't have any dreams that night which left her undisturbed.

Sakura was merely rolling on her bed under the warm and comfy duvet when her phone rang which startled the crap out of her that she fell from her bed and onto the cold wooden floor. So much for being undisturbed.

Sakura groaned and her hands found her phone which was sitting on her bedside drawer. She stared at the vibrating phone's caller ID. Tomoyo. She knew it!

"Hmmm.." Sakura mumbled as she pressed the answer button.

"Sakura?" she heard Tomoyo's voice chortle. "I thought we have plans today?"

"But it's early." Sakura said her voice cracking.

Another round of giggles from the other end.

"Sakura, it's nine thirty." Tomoyo said exasperatedly.

"H-hoe? Now that's too early!"

"So I guess I'll be meeting you at Penguin Park at ten?" Tomoyo said in a business-like tone.

Before Sakura could even say a word,she hung up.

"Mmm..." Sakura groaned again rubbing her head.

Sakura stood up and wobbled her way to the mirror. She was such a wreck. Her hair was tangled and was all over the place and her eyes had dark circles.

Sakura took a half an hour long shower. It was nice to feel warm water on her tired skin. She got out of the shower feeling fresh and got into an autumn dress she promised Tomoyo she would wear today. It was light orange with frills at the sleeves and at the bodice. A cream coloured ribbon circled the waist. It was up to her knee in length and it showed off her curves.

She checked her reflection in the mirror. The dress suited her mood. It wasn't that bright nor dark, it was just average.

She glanced at her wardrobe and took out the matching hat and sandals.

I bet Tomoyo's enjoying this, Sakura thought as she put them on. She checked the time on her clock, 10.00.

Oh shit.

She might have to suffer an hour long lecture from Tomoyo for her habit of being late. Again.

"Kero-chan, you coming?" Sakura asked the yellow stuffed toy-like creature which appeared from inside of one of her dressers.

"Of course I am! I couldn't miss the food we'll be eating couldn't I?" Kero said yawning off sleep.

"Why is it that you always think about _food_?" Sakura muttered in an undertone.

"What d'you say?"

"Nothing."

Sakura stuffed necessities in her crimson satchel bag designed by Tomoyo of course. Almost all of her dresses were designed and made by Tomoyo. She wouldn't be surprised if one day, her best friend would be working with the most popular designers in the world and become one herself.

Lip gloss, breath mints, a small brush, a tiny bottle of perfume, her wallet and most important of all, the Sakura cards, were all stuffed in the satchel.

She held it out to Kero, who took a deep breath and dived inside.

There was no one inside the house except for herself and Touya. Well you could count Kero if you're counting living things that can speak and breathe. Speaking of breathing,she forgot to open her bag a little to let oxygen in for Kero. Ooopps.

Never mind that, she can open it later when she's out of the house so Touya wouldn't suspect anything. He has this thing where he could sense the unnatural forces. By unnatural forces, I mean, the cards' power, Kero and such. He could even see ghosts while nobody can and tells Sakura about it (hence why Sakura is afraid of ghosts). She had an assumption that her brother knew already but her decided to keep it quiet.

Sakura found her brother in the kitchen sipping coffee and reading the paper on the dining table.

"Going somewhere are we kaijuu?"

"Yeah,I'm meeting Tomoyo at Penguin Park. We're going to the city." she explained as she made herself hot chocolate, and hearing Touya call her a kaijuu added, "And I am SO NOT a kaijuu!"

"After all that stomping and roaring? I believe you call that a kaijuu's work, don't you say?" he said turning a page in his paper nonchalantly.

Sakura drank her drink and said with irritation, "I can't believe you still call me that." She leaned her back on the kitchen counter and checked her phone; 5 miss calls all from Tomoyo. Man,that lady sure can't wait.

It was now 10:15.

Sakura placed her mug on the sinkand stepped on Touya's foot on her way to the hallway purposefully. She stole his waffles as he growled in pain.

"See you onii-chan." Sakura snickered.

"Hey!" Touya said noticing his missing waffles.

"Lo-vely waffles by the way."

Sakura unlocked the front door and disappeared outside.

"Here you go Kero-chan." she said and dropped a waffle in her bag.

Sure enough, a squeal of delight emanated from the bag which made people to turn their head to her direction as she walked. She smiled at them looking

embarrassed and hurried to Penguin Park.

The weather was great. The sun was ablaze and the temperature was warm which is a good sign. She quickly spotted Tomoyo tapping her foot on the cemented ground impatiently by play ground gates,every now and then glancing at her wristwatch.

What really surprised her was that Syaoran was standing beside her leaning casually on the black iron gates. Hmmm.. She didn't remember telling him about their meet up, but at the sight of a mischievous grin playing on Tomoyo's face gave her an answer.

Just by looking at him made her heart beat faster and blood rise alarmingly up her cheeks. She should be getting used to him now. He's her boyfriend for goodness sake!

Wait...boyfriend?

The word swam in Sakura's mind as she approached the two. Should she even used that term?

"He didn't even ask you out yet missy." a voice in her head perked up.

"Shut up! He will. He loves me doesn't he?" she mentally told the voice sternly.

"Hey guys." Sakura greeted them.

"You're late." Tomoyo said dryly.

"Gomen ne, I was having a deep sleep when you woke me up real early." Sakura shot at Tomoyo.

Tomoyo laughed and Sakura joined in.

"At least you're here." Syaoran said and gave her a peck on the cheek. She swore

the place his lips touched her face burned and she turned siren red. Woah, we really are in on the next level, Sakura thought as he held her hands in his.

And that's good isn't it?

"Ahem," Tomoyo cleared her throat announcing that she was still there. The two broke away from each others' gaze and looked at her.

"We're going to Tokyo Tower yes?"

Oh this is going to be a lo-ng day.

~oOo~

The bus ride took forty minutes from their time and they strolled around the city entering stores,window shopping. Sakura who only had waffles and hot chocolate for breakfast thought they ought to eat first before anything else.

They entered a restaurant called 'Hamada'. It was very fancy and well maintained. The restaurant was definitely booming in their business as they saw more people entering the threshold. A waitress wearing the restaurant's uniform bowed and greeted them. Tomoyo requested for a private booth. The waitress then led them upstairs and seated them in a very comfortable looking booth. The table was a mahogany colour and around it were mini sofas built in to the wall.

The door was made out of bamboo and stained glass. The waitress handed them three menus and disappeared to attend to other customers.

Sakura scanned her menu. The food prices was reasonable and it looked delicious!

Her bag suddenly opened itself and out came a breathless Kero. He flew like a drunken bird to the table and plopped down on all fours.

"I swear... I-am-not-hiding-in your-BAG!" he panted.

"Gomen nasai! I forgot to open it a bit." Sakura said apologetically.

"You get away this time. Thank fate that we're in a restaurant." Kero said warning in his tone,then his tone changed to it's usual "Hmm.. I want rice balls and tamagoyaki (rolled omelet)! Don't forget the dessert! Be sure to order cakes and all!"

"Kero-chan, you do know that _you're_ going to pay for what you eat,don't you?"

Sakura said coolly.

"You can pay for it. In exchange,I'll do your homework for a week."

"Last time you did, my homework looked like a piece of crap." Sakura muttered darkly. Thank god she checked what answers he wrote down or else.

"What d'you mean by that?"

The waitress suddenly came to their booth and Kero stood still like an innocent stuffed toy. The waitress stared at Kero for a couple of tensed beats where she thought she'd seen the thing talk. She tore her eyes away from Kero probably shrugging off the fact that a stuffed toy could talk.

"Are you all ready to order?"

She scribbled down their orders on her notebook and disappeared once more.

"Phew! That was so close." Sakura sighed in relief.

"Why is the brat HERE?" Kero who obviously just noticed pointed accusingly to Syaoran who was seated beside Sakura as if he just punched him in the face.

"It's rude to point Guardian of the Seal." Syaoran retorted saying Kero's title with utter distaste.

"Kero, stop it!" Sakura scolded him.

They munched down their breakfast contentedly reminiscing and talking about the good 'ol times. It's like the time when they were still 5th graders.

After they had just finished eating, Tomoyo excused herself to take a call, Kero followed her to take a good look at the restaurant's buffet.

This left Sakura and Syaoran alone.

There was an awkward silence between them. Sakura couldn't look at him without going scarlet. Syaoran was already blushing like a madman. When silence pursued after a few minutes,Sakura decided to make small talk.

"What's up?"

Sakura mentally slapped herself. What the hell? Of all the things she could say, she asked '_What's up?_' ?

"I've been wanting to ask you something Sakura." Syaoran spoke slowly as though picking the right words he should say.

Sakura's heart drummed against her chest. She sometimes wondered if Syaoran could hear it since it was deafened her ears. What could it be? She thought,willing a blush from her cheeks. She licked her lips.

"Would you- umm... will you-" Syaoran said but was cut off by Tomoyo's entrance.

She was smiling a triumphant smile. It was as if she just became C.E.O of a fashion company. Way to go Tomoyo. Syaoran was telling me something when you decided to appear? Sakura couldn't help but feel annoyed at her best friend at this moment. Tomoyo stepped aside and revealed a boy before them. He had navy blue hair and a kind face. He had glasses on and looked kind of like Fujitaka, Sakura's father.

It was Hiiragizawa Eriol.

**Author's Note**

**Ok, so I thought it was getting all sad and soppy so I thought the sun needs to come out for Sakura! What do you think about this chapter?**

**I was thinking you'll find this one boring or something. This one is just an intro for our friend coming into the story! **

**I would like to thank you people that reviewed my story. It's inspiring and have kept me going. This is the only thing you have to do to make this story better. It has been really tough for me because I have to catch up with schoolwork and training. **

**I was really happy today because, first, we won today's match ^-^ 6 goals to 3 goals to us and where top in the league! Second, is that I''m finally finished another chapter! YAY! v^-^v**

**Oh yeah don't forget to review this one! Is it good? Bad? I need to know :D**

**Suggestions are open if you wanted to put a little bit of twist in here. **

**Oh and another thing, to the reader that asked if Syaoran used his Fuuka Shaorai to save himslef in the previous chapter, yeah he did. ^O^**

**Doesn't really matter what power he uses,the thing is, he' alive! **

**See you in the next chapter!**


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